There's nothing quite like the new perspective you get, at least for a few days, as the year changes. The media loves to review the year and the decade, giving you a chance to reflect on the past and resolve anew for the future. For most of our readers, a new year also brings a new school semester, and that fresh outlook can get you through (at least to spring break!). In this edition, we point you towards our exciting new bloggers - you will likely see a bit of yourself in their blogs as they describe their international experiences. And we review some of the rapidly changing areas of international education.

Why pay the high price of your school's international student health insurance plan, when a little research and time could save you a good deal of money and still have excellent coverage? Most schools in the USA will allow you to opt out of the school's insurance plan as long as your new insurance plan meets certain requirements.

The school insurance requirement database allows you to see if the Student Secure plan will meet your school's requirements, provide pricing and benefit information and also instructions on how to opt out of your school's insurance plan.

For more information about the plans available and to obtain a free quote check out our website - you can purchase right online and receive an immediate confirmation:

For the start of the new year, our student blogs look a little fresher with two new bloggers who have already each submitted multiple posts as they prepare to study in the USA and around the world!

Our first new blogger is Sandy Florez, the winner of the 2009 Travel Video Contest. Sandy has taken over the Study Abroad Blog (from Matt, our previous Study Abroad Blogger, who has returned to the US after 2 full years of blogging!) and we know this blog is in good hands. Sandy is preparing herself to study in Italy and she will be charting the trials and tribulations as she gets ready for her adventure!

The second new addition to our blogging team is Lindo Lindo, from the Philippines, who joins Laura on our Study in the USA Blog. You will remember Lindo from our Travel Video contest and his hilarious spoof video that won a prize. He is charting his adventures as he studies in the USA under the Global UGrad program at North Central University in Illinois, and we really look forward to hearing more from LL!

Check out both of these fun new bloggers, subscribe to the RSS feed and post comments back to our bloggers!

2010 will bring international students many new challenges, as the rapid pace of change in our world is amplified when studying internationally. The study abroad environment in 2010 is radically different from the one faced by students who were studying abroad only 3 years ago. To help keep students up-to-date, our latest blog post outlines some of the most major changes that are affecting students into the new year. The post covers financial aid, social media, communication and staying healthy, all as they related to international students.

Australia condemned on Monday the killing of an Indian student in Melbourne, as India called for an end to the spate of attacks against Indian students which has damaged Australia's multi-million dollar foreign student sector. Accounting graduate Nitin Garg, 21, originally from the state of Punjab in northern India, was stabbed to death on Saturday night on his way to a job at a fast food outlet in Melbourne.

Police said the motive for the attack, which they described as vicious, was not known.

Indian media have labeled the series of attacks against Indian students in Australia as racist, but police and the Australian government have said the attacks are purely criminal.

"I obviously unreservedly condemn this attack," said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard. "This is a nation that welcomes international students. We want to make them welcome, this is a welcoming and accepting country," Gillard told reporters on Monday.

Read the rest of the Reuters story about the recent wave of violence against Indian students in Australia.

This month we have a post in our study in the USA forum from a member who is looking for information about medical courses and financial aid in the USA:

"At the moment I'm 16 turning 17 in a week or so & I'm deeply interested in studying medicine like my father but in the US. I haven't taken the SAT yet, I live in Trinidad and I want to try and get into a university after Form 5 since I really don't want to complete Lower 6 and Upper 6.
I really am looking forward to getting into Brown or any other Ivy League and am worried about the tuition costs. I need help as to the score I need to get accepted into the school of choice and when I should write the SAT and scholarship information. Thanks in advance."

If you are a fan of electronic music, then Mugasha is the site for you. Packed full of sets, Mugasha allows you to stream the full sets or if you like a particular song you can just play the song you like. The site also features all of the world's top DJ's including Tiesto, Pete Tong, Robbie Riveira and many more!

Roehampton University welcomes students from around the world; we currently have students from 110 different countries. The University is based on a beautiful campus in London, UK, and offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Staff at the International Centre help and advise all prospective, new and continuing international students. This service begins with your enquiry via the internet or consultation at a recruitment fair, and continues right through to graduation and beyond.

We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter, and best of luck to you as you pursue or help others pursue an international education! As always please contact us with any questions or comments you have about the newsletter - we love to hear from you!